The green economy in metropolitan San Diego remains modest despite years of efforts to bolster industries that create environmental benefits, according

San Diego’s green economy rankings

Business leaders across the nation have been racing to develop clean-tech jobs because they are viewed as a major economic growth opportunity given international pressures to reduce all types of pollution and create non-petroleum fuels. Here’s a look at how San Diego stacks up against California as a whole and the top 100 metro areas in the nation.

CLEAN JOBS

22,862 | 21st

Clean jobs cover five broad sectors of the economy. They are agricultural and natural resources conservation; education and compliance with environmental rules; energy and resource efficiency; greenhouse gas reduction, environmental management and recycling; and renewable energy.

• California: 318,156

• California rank: 1st

• U.S. total: 2.7 million

• Top metro area: New York/New Jersey (152,034)

• Bottom metro area: Provo-Orem, Utah (1,587)

INTENSITY

1.7 percent | 60th

This category measures the percentage of clean economy jobs as a percentage of all jobs in the region. The Albany region’s ranking was powered by employment at General Electric’s global renewable energy headquarters and compliance-based jobs in state government.

• California: 2.1 percent

• California rank: 14th

• U.S. total: 2.0 percent

• Top metro area: Albany, N.Y. (6.3 percent)

• Bottom metro area: Colorado Springs, Co. (0.7 percent)

to a national assessment being released today by the Brookings Institution and Battelle.

San Diego ranked 21st nationally by total number of green jobs and 60th by concentration of those positions in the total workforce.

The region fared better on growth measures, but the overall numbers don’t square with other reviews that cast San Diego in a more positive light. That adds uncertainty about the real status of a business sector that seemingly every region of the country wants to adopt, even though it hasn’t turned into the kind of powerhouse job machine that many hoped.

Nationally, some 2.7 million employees are part of “clean/green” industries, but China and Germany have jumped ahead of the United States in developing related businesses, according to what Brookings called the first report of its kind to assess the 100 largest metro areas nationwide.

“We risk giving away what should be a significant competitive advantage for the U.S.,” said Mark Muro, a co-author for Brookings. “We are seeing U.S. companies losing market share at home and abroad.”

Brookings defined green jobs broadly to include those that produce goods and services that reduce pollution or otherwise protect the environment. They included everything from mass transit and nuclear energy to biofuels and water-efficient products — a combination of old-school and cutting-edge industries. The report said employment in the green sector was larger than the fossil fuel or bioscience industries nationally, but smaller than information technology.

San Diego’s green economy is powered by employment in mass transit, waste management, nuclear energy and organic farming, Brookings said. It said the fastest growing segments from 2003 to 2010 were related to the development and manufacturing of consumer products, solar photovoltaic technology and water purification.